19/08/2002
Mount Fuji, Karuizawa, and Omikoshis - a good summer holiday.
Hello, and welcome once again to the cracking good read that is Toms Tokyo diary. Holidays are over now and it's back to
work though I've plenty to report since the last entry. The holidays were the 8th to 16th of August. On the 8th, a group of
six of us headed off bound for the top of Mount Fuji-San. A couple of our party (myself included) had unfortunately been to
karaoke until the wee small hours of the morning the night before so were feeling a little the worse for wear as we caught
the bus from Shinjuku (central Tokyo). Two and a half hours later we woke up at the fifth station which was quite pleasant
with shops, restaraunts and a shrine. It was dark when we set off at around 7:00pm, we had all stocked up with batteries for
torches and big walking sticks with bells on (which soon got on your nerves and had to be removed). I took a disposable
camera with me and took 'before and after' shots as we set off, as I don't have a scanner handy you'll have to use your
imagination.
Looks beautiful from afar.
The very pleasant surroundings of Fujis 5th station.
As we set off their was a tannoy announcement on loop warning us about what we had to take with us, warm clothing,
waterproofs etc etc, and to beware the changeable weather ie lightning. Armed with a couple of jumpers, a pack of corn crisps,
and a mini maglite, we scoffed and began the ascent. The route was well marked though we had a map of how to get up there.
There are several stations on the way up consisting of wooden huts that you can shelter in and get some hot green tea or
noodles. They also sell chocolate, drinks, and to my alarm; bottles of oxygen. After a few hours of zig-zagging up paths of
loose volcanic rubble, the lack of air had made my bag of corn crisps expand to breaking point. It was getting steadily colder
with every step and the wind was picking up. The terrain changed then into almost sheer rockface that you had to clamber up on
hands and knees, the walking stick that we bought at the beginning came in handy for this bit though it was pretty tricky
doing it all by torchlight. A couple of hours later and it turned back into the loose rubble that kept getting into your
shoes and cutting your feet. The lack of air meant that you could only take a few steps before having to rest for a minute or
two. The wind was howling and picking up the lava dust that flew into your mouth and eyes, it was too cold to stay still for
very long though. After eight hours of climbing, at 3:00am I reached the top which was perhaps the most inhospitable place I have ever seen.
The cabin had a bright light shining on top that lit up the clouds that were screaming over the summit, the wind was so strong
that on several occasions it almost knocked me clean off my feet. I was the first of our group to reach the top so I had to wait
for the others to get there, the wooden hut was shut when I first arrived so I had to sit outside for half an hour or so.
There was so little oxygen up there that you had to make a concious effort to breath a little quicker than usual or else
you became dizzy, the temperature was below zero. Eventually the cabin opened up so we could get out of the wind and dust
but I couldn't get warm again, the altitude made me feel sick and dizzy. We watched the sunrise from inside the cabin which was
really beautiful, loads of different colours. I didn't take any pictures as I was too cold and nauseous at the top. I started
to feel better as soon as we started back down the mountain. The path was all lava rubble which was really difficult to walk on
some of our group fell over and picked up cuts and scrapes.
The walk back down.
The desolate lunar landscape of Mount Fuji-San.
The climb down took five hours, I didn't realise at the time but I managed to get incredibly sunburnt on my neck and arms,
I'm still peeling now (nice). We kissed the ground at the fifth station at around 10:00am, found that we had to wait until 1:00
for the next bus back to Tokyo so went off for a spot of breakfast. I'm glad I did it but it was one of the hardest things I've ever
done. There is a Japanese saying that a wise man climbs Fuji once, a fool climbs it twice. I shant be going back!
So, I've rabbited on about Fuji for long enough. The 10th was a day of rest, blister treatment, and preparation for the big
camping trip to Karuizawa. We caught the Shinkansen (bullet train) from Tokyo station on the 11th, it didn't feel as if we were
going that fast as it was so smooth, but the countryside was certainly zipping by quite fast.
The Shinkansen arriving into Tokyo station (The first and only time I will photograph a train!).
After arriving in Karuizawa it was an hours bus ride and a 5 minute cab ride to the campsite, we seemed to have taken an
awful lot of stuff with us. We were given a pitch right at the bottom of the campsite first of all. We set up camp and said
a cheery kanpai (cheers) with a couple of cans of beer. There were quite a few guys our age who were working for the summer
at the campsite, Kazuki, Jun, and a couple of others. One of our group, Stuart, asked one of them where the nearest bank was, unfortunately his English and our
Japanese were not up to the explanation so he came back five minutes later brandishing a mobile phone with one of his freinds
on the other end who could speak English. We thanked them and gave them a couple of beers for their trouble. The next day was
spent relaxing by the lake, reading and mucking about. We also got in a quick nine holes of golf at a local course which was
very picturesque. Kazuki came down and offered us a pitch right at the top of the campsite
next to the showers and barbecues etc. we duly obliged. The next day we went into Karuizawa town where there were loads of arty
crafty shops and designer clothes outlets - all quite posh. We stopped for pizzas at a resaraunt and successfully ordered
one that didn't have fish on, however the waitress neglected to tell us that it was loaded with fish eggs and crab. That night
Kazuki and his mates offered us a spare tent of theirs that was full of comfy futons, a rare treat as we had spent the two
previous nights lying with boulders between our shoulderblades. The next day was my birthday, the day was all very relaxed, we
went rowing on the lake and lunch in a restraunt, I may have overdone the rowing though as I now have a blister on my left hand.
In the evening, the guys at the campsite organised a big birthday party for me. We went to a big Hanabi (fireworks) festival
in Karuizawa that was one of the best I've seen, then back to the campsite for a big BBQ with birthday cake and champagne. They
put a lot of effort into it seeing as we'd only met them a couple of days before. The next day was spent recovering from the
previous nights festivities and making more Japanese friends. The Kanai family had moved into one of the plush log cabins near
our tent. They had three young boys who we joined in a game of baseball with, we taught them how to bowl a cricket ball which
seemed to perplex them slightly. They also had a young daughter called Erika whose birthday it happened to be that day. They
invited us all over for a joint Tom and Erika birthday celebration, so there was more birthday cake there. We also went for an
onsen (Hot spring bath) at a local hotel. It was all very Japanese, you had to sit on a small stool to have a wash before getting
into an incredibly hot pool. I couldn't stand it for very long as it was too hot. The mens and womens were seperated and you had to
get naked in there! On the last night, Kazuki and his mates surpassed themselves and promoted us once again to one of the plush
log cabins free of charge - Japanese people have shot up in my estimation after this holiday.
Shot of Shogetsuko lake next to the campsite.
As above.
Our luxurious campsite.
The fairway of hole 4 of the golf course we played, a tricky dogleg right!
So that was Karuizawa, but the fun didn't stop there, Oh No! It was back to work on Saturday, however, Sunday turned out to
be a very good day. I received an e-mail from Chiaki the day before telling me to go to her house for 9:00am on Sunday
morning and to bring a change of underwear as I'd be getting wet. I managed to get there for half past. When I arrived she
gave me a yukata (traditional Japanese clothing) which I put on and headed towards town. Near their house was a massive
festival going on with around 55 Omikoshi from all different areas of Tokyo (I think I told you about Omikoshi from the Kashiwa
festival that I went to - are you paying attention? They are quite large models of buddhist temples that people carry through
the streets at such festivals). This was a special festival that only occurs once every three years, and everyone gets plastered
in water. When we got near we met up with some of Chiakis friends and were hoisted into the back of a pick-up truck full of water.
I was given a bucket and told to get the people marching past with the Omikoshi as wet as possible. We also enjoyed baptising the
passing police vans as well. Then it was our turn to carry the Omikoshi for Kiyosumi (Chiakis prefecture). They are a lot heavier
than they look and being a little taller that the average Japanese fellow, I had to stoop slightly to get under it which was
hard work on the thighs. Every third and fourth step you had to shout at the top of your voice 'WASHOI' which means praise to god
(or something!). Every time we started and stopped we had to clap in time to this guy with wooden blocks and drink a cup of
sake to a shout of 'Kanpai' (cheers). It was quite hard work, I had a towel on my shoulder but I still have some bruising.
The people on the pavements took great delight in flinging buckets of water in our faces and turning hoses on us. We stopped for
a bento lunch and then carried on for a few hours more. We marched about 5 or 6 kilometres with it all in all. Afterwards we were
given free tickets for a nearby onsen (hot spring bath) that was equally as hot as the one in Karuizawa but soothed aching
muscles. I talked to some of my students about carrying the Omikoshi, some of them were quite jealous and said that it is a
difficult thing to be able to do so it was quite an honor. I was the only Gaijin (foreigner) in the group but they were all
welcoming and chatty. Here are a few pics taken by Chiakis brother.
The group, Chiaki is standing next to me.
View from a bridge of carrying the Omikoshi.
Getting a touch wet.
Me taking my fair share of the weight halfway through a shout of 'WASHOI'.
There are loads of other photos from this day, Chiakis brother burnt me a CD full so I might put some more on another
website somewhere if I get time. Well, I didn't think it was possible but I think I've written more than the last entry.
If you're still reading then hello, I'll shutup now. Keep you eyes peeled until the next episode. Sayonara!
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